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1
TO MAKE THE BANANA-BASIL GARNISH: Peel 1 banana half and cut the fresh into small dice.
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2
Mince 4 of the basil leaves; combine the minced basil and diced banana with 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice.
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3
Set aside.
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4
TO COOK THE CHICKEN: Preheat the oven to 350F.
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5
Season the chicken breasts with salt.
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6
In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over high heat.
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7
In batches, cooking only as many as will fit in the skillet at once without crowding, sear the chicken until light brown, 1 to 2 minutes on each side.
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8
Transfer the breasts to a large baking dish in a single layer.
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9
Bake, uncovered, until cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes.
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10
TO MAKE THE MOLE: Meanwhile, in the same skillet set on medium heat, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and cook the garlic and onion until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes.
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11
Peel and coarsely chop the remaining banana half and mince the remaining 6 basil leaves; add to the onion mixture along with the guajillos, dates, the remaining tablespoon of lemon juice, and the chicken stock.
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12
Cook for 4 to 6 minutes.
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13
Use tongs to remove the softened guajillos (see Tip).
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14
Pour the remainder of the mixture into the jar of a blender and puree until smooth.
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15
Season with salt.
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16
To serve, place a generous amount of banana mole on each plate and place 1 chicken breast on the sauce.
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17
To garnish, top each chicken breast with a spoonful of banana-basil garnish.
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18
Guajillos are slim dried chiles with a red-brown cast and a famously tough skin.
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19
They can be quite hot.
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20
Unless you are a heat-loving fiend, remove them from the mole sauce before pureeing it as directed above.
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21
Just by simmering in the sauce they lend enough heat to satisfy most American palates.
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22
If, after tasting the sauce, you crave additional heat, puree the guajillos separately in the blender, adding a couple of tablespoons of chicken stock, and pass the mixture though a sieve before combining with the mole sauce.
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23
Dont skip the straining, as the tough skin of these chiles wont process to a fully smooth puree.
